Dave,
Sure wish we could make a meet. Best luck on your hunt, maybe we can get together next spring. Looks like I need to crank-up my non-tactical gold-plated trigger and embellished 94 that commemerates something so as to try to keep up with you... Are you shooting the new pointy Hornady ammo? Supposed to turn the dirty-30 into a screamer - probably right up there with them Allen maggies.
Shot my ProHunter with a .416 Rigby barrel on it today, forty rounds, let's say that the Flex Tex stock and big fat Limbsaver recoil pad are not nearly enough. Got fairly beatup by the sucker. Afraid to see what color my shoulder has turned.

Maybe in the Spring again like you say. With the way my 416 Rigby kicks I'd pretty much agree that there is no recoil reduction system that'll work for an extended period of time, a lightweight 416 is eventually gonna leave a mark (or two).

The little Matthews and the Winchester are pretty close to the same range limitations. I have pins to 60 yards on the bow and might shoot to 70 while the Winchester should be sighted to dead-on at about 130 yards with the sights being a little too course for much past 150 yards. In either case we're not talking very long range but still a good deal past hand-to-hoof. The rifle seasons are in the further north areas so I'm thinking close(r) range for the rifle.

I believe Richard has my day planned as a ride-along in the combine jumpseat... He drives and I just hang my head out the window and yell wheeeeeeeeeeee (so long as we're headed into the wind).

Dave it's good you're taking your bow as a sort of handicap. When I drove to a little north of Fort St. John early this April to shoot my ranch buffalo, I came into Dawson Creek about an hour before dark. With the new grass having just started growing in the huge farm fields I must have seen 200 deer in about 45 minutes and I don't imagine it's much different on the Alberta side as Cheery Piont is maybe 5 miles from the BC Border in that area. A good place to spend some time now, I hope you get lot's of pictures. I'd wish you good luck, but in that area poor luck is probably good enough to get a buck good you're bow hunting [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. Have a great trip and I hope you post lots of pictures to show people what the country there is like.